For the first time ever, Indiana men’s basketball and Indiana women’s basketball are simultaneously ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll.
Both teams moved up one spot in their respective polls. The men’s team checks in at No. 10, while the women are No. 5.
Only Indiana and UConn can claim two programs in the top 10.
Major movement in men’s poll
IU men’s basketball moved up in the rankings Monday following comfortable wins over Little Rock and Jackson State.
The Hoosiers’ next opponent, North Carolina, suffered the biggest fall from the top spot in AP Poll history. The Tar Heels lost by five points to unranked Iowa State (now No. 23) on Friday and dropped a four-overtime thriller by two points to No. 18 Alabama (now No. 11) on Sunday. That sent UNC down to No. 18 ahead of this week’s game in Bloomington.
IU is the second-highest ranked team in the Big Ten. Purdue made the biggest jump in the poll this week, going from No. 24 to No. 5. The Boilermakers earned double-digit wins in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament over unranked West Virginia, No. 6 Gonzaga (now No. 14), and No. 8 Duke (now No. 17).
Six total Big Ten teams are in the rankings. Behind IU is No. 16 Illinois (previously unranked), No. 20 Michigan State (previously No. 12), No. 22 Maryland (previously No. 23), and No. 25 Ohio State (previously unranked).
Former IU head coach Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars moved into the No. 1 position, the program’s first top ranking in 39 years. Indiana’s other two major non-conference opponents are both in the top 10 — Arizona jumped 10 spots to No. 4, and Kansas fell six places to No. 9.
Women return to top 5
IU women’s basketball wasn’t fazed by suboptimal circumstances in the Las Vegas Invitational last week, picking up wins over unranked opponents Auburn and Memphis.
The women’s team — like the men — also have a huge game this week against a ranked North Carolina team. The Tar Heel women check in at No. 6, up two spots, after Phil Knight Invitational wins over No. 18 Oregon (now No. 19) and No. 5 Iowa State (now No. 8).
The Hoosiers are the second-highest ranked Big Ten team in this poll — also like the men’s team. Ohio State remains at No. 4 following blowout wins over Wright State and North Alabama.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Iowa fell one spot to No. 10 after an 86-79 loss to No. 3 UConn on Sunday. Michigan rose five places to No. 17 after an 84-75 win over Baylor on Sunday. Maryland dropped six spots to No. 20 because of a 76-67 upset loss to unranked DePaul. The Terps bounced back with wins over unranked Towson and Pittsburgh.
The IU women are in the AP top 5 for a second consecutive season.
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